IOWA CITY — The Iowa basketball program has plenty of Lickliters this season.
Todd Lickliter is in his second season as the Hawkeyes' coach. This year, his sons are joining him.
His youngest son, John, is a freshman walk-on. Another son, Garrett, is a graduate manager on the team.
"Good dependable help is hard to find," Todd Lickliter said, smiling. "But when it's free, it's impossible (to find). I'm glad to have them both."
John Lickliter, a 5-foot-11 guard, was part of Iowa City High's run to the Class 4A state basketball title last March. He understands what his role is with the Hawkeyes.
"My time to shine is going to be in practice," he said. "My role is to help out the team any way I can."
"He loves the University of Iowa," Todd Lickliter said. "I was really encouraged by just his approach. He just wants to help. He has no agenda. He just wants us to help us get better."
John Lickliter said he can't call his dad "Coach."
"I call him 'Dad,'" he said. "It would feel weird to call him anything else."
There was a stark contrast in the basketball fortunes in the Lickliter household last season. While John was on a team that would eventually win a state title, his father was coaching a team that would set a school record with 19 losses.
"It's always tough to lose, and it was tough for him," John Lickliter said. "But I know he was really happy for me."
"To my recollection, no one in our family has ever finished their season with a win," Todd Lickliter said. "It's very hard to do. That's why I was very pleased for John."
Garrett Lickliter, a graduate of Marian College, was a video coordinator intern with the NBA's Indiana Pacers last season. He is currently pursuing his master's degree in administration at Iowa.
"Again, no agenda on his part," Todd Lickliter said. "He wants to get his master's, and he wants to coach someday."
GATENS LIVES HIS DREAM
Freshman guard Matt Gatens, a teammate of John Lickliter's at City High, put on the Iowa uniform for the second time Monday for the team's media day.
It's something he's wanted to do since he committed to the Hawkeyes and then-coach Steve Alford as a freshman in high school.
"It's been an interesting ride," Gatens said. "I've waited for this for a long time."
Gatens never wavered in his commitment, even after Alford left for New Mexico and Todd Lickliter was hired as coach.
"This staff has been great," Gatens said. "I really wanted to come here and be a part of it. I've never wanted to be anywhere else."
Gatens, one of Rivals.com top 150 players as a high school senior, is expected to play a key role for the Hawkeyes.
"But I don't feel any pressure," he said. "I just want to go out and win games."
SEEN AND HEARD
Todd Lickliter quoted from an unknown author ("Walk toward the talk"), Benjamin Franklin ("Well done is much better than well said") and John Wooden ("Make every day your masterpiece) during his press conference. ... Worst question of the day came from a TV reporter who asked Lickliter who would be in the starting lineup for the opener. "I have no idea," Lickliter said. "I'm sorry. I just don't have any idea." ... Tony Freeman, last season's leading scorer who transferred to Southern Illinois in the offseason, was the subject of some of the questions to the returning players. "I was sad to see him go," guard Jeff Peterson said. "But at the same time, he went his way, and we have to go ours." Asked if he had spoken to Freeman since he left, forward Cyrus Tate said, "I haven't talked to him at all."